Cho Hee-yeon on the 2nd Trial Verdict: "Immediate Appeal... Active Administration Judged Guilty"

Suspended Sentence in Second Trial... Risk of Losing Superintendent Position
"Will Prove Innocence... Devoted to Educational Administration"

Cho Hee-yeon, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, announced on the 18th, after receiving a suspended prison sentence in the second trial, "I will immediately appeal to correct this and prove my innocence."

After the sentencing on the same day, Superintendent Cho told reporters, "In 2018, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education conducted special recruitment based on the spirit of open competition as stipulated by law and complied with legal procedures," emphasizing this point. He is accused of abuse of authority for giving improper instructions to the responsible officials to specially recruit five dismissed teachers from the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (JeonGyoJo), who were convicted of violating election laws from October to December 2018.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Seoul High Court Criminal Division 13 (Presiding Judges Kim Woo-soo, Kim Jin-ha, Lee In-soo) upheld the first trial's judgment, sentencing Superintendent Cho to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 2-year suspension for charges including abuse of authority, obstruction of the exercise of rights, and violation of the National Public Officials Act. If this sentence is finalized, Superintendent Cho will lose his position.

Superintendent Cho stated, "The special recruitment in 2018 was also an administrative effort to heal the wounds of the educational community. It was a reconciliatory measure to allow teachers who had been dismissed for over ten years to return to the children’s side, and an active administration aimed at healing wounds," adding, "I regret that a policy decision and active administration for harmony and integration were judged guilty under a cold legal formalism."

He also mentioned the issues raised during the trial process, saying, "I will lead to a retrial." He explained, "The Supreme Court’s final ruling will serve as an important framework indicating the direction our society should take, and it will be judged comprehensively considering various factors such as society, culture, and education."

Furthermore, Superintendent Cho said, "As an education superintendent, I will humbly and passionately fulfill my final duties for the recovery of the educational community still suffering from unhealed wounds and for the advancement of future education," and added, "Although a difficult process remains until the final ruling, I will remain steadfast and devote myself to educational administration."